Matron's Flower Show

The only flowers you will see this week in my garden are those which precede tasty vegetables! I've just finished watching the opening day of the RHS Chelsea flower show on TV.. not a veggie in sight.. shame on them. Regard my crimson flowered broad beans, flowering their little hearts out at the moment. Small beanlets are starting to appear at the base of each plant.
Looks like it will be a bumper year for strawberries too. This is the third year I have found a permanent home for about a dozen plants. I just peg down the runners each year and try to remember which plants are past their best and whip them out. This week I will give them a feed and lay down some straw for the berries to rest on.. er.. that's why they call them straw-berries!
I took some cuttings from my beefsteak tomato plant Country Taste. These seeds were £3.99 for a packet of four seeds so I was keen to attempt to make a few extra plants from the side shoots which emerge from the 'armpits' of the plant. These are sitting up nicely, I checked this morning and cannot see roots yet but the little hairs on the stems appear to be thickening. I will just have to find space for an extra dozen plants now!!
These purple podded peas are romping away as well. Here you can see the fantastic purple pods as well as the stunning flowers. The plants are about 5ft tall now and still climbing!
My shallots 'Pikant' are doing nicely as well. The bases are just starting to thicken slightly and you can see where the bulb has divided into about a dozen little ones. When the days start to get shorter next month, the bulbs will really start to swell when the plant senses a change in day length and starts to store food for Winter.
I couldn't resist getting down on my hands and knees today to take a peek at my rhubarb jungle! This is going from strength to strength this year - fantastic! I will be careful not to stress the plant by taking too many stalks, but there are still plenty of small leaves emerging from the crown. I am picking about 4 or 5 stalks every week, they are so tender and sweet!